1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vanity case of the type in which a receptacle member and a cover member are hinged together at respective rear ends thereof and the cover member is maintained in a closed position with respect to the receptacle member by engagement of latch means formed on the front ends of both members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various attempts and efforts have hitherto been made in order to facilitate an opening operation of the cover member, and a push piece has been proposed and found effective. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,276,893 and 4,399,826 disclose such a push piece arranged in a recess formed in a marginal portion of the receptacle member in a slidable manner (U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,893) or in a rotatable manner (U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,826), so that an inwardly directed pressure applied to the push piece urges the cover member upwardly to thereby release the engagement of the latch means. When it is desired to open the cover member, a user presses the push piece by, for example, a thumb of one hand. Then the front end of cover member is lifted up by using the other hand or by shifting the thumb to the front edge of the cover. It is thus necessary to use both hands or to perform two movements for opening the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,168 discloses an arrangement of the push piece in the cover member, whereby the cover member can be opened by the same finger that presses the push piece. In this vanity case, however, a portion of the push piece to be pressed is located just above the upper edge of the receptacle member, so that the lower end of the user's finger which presses the push piece tends to come into contact with the upper edge of the receptacle member, resulting in difficulty in lifting up the cover by that finger without shifting it. In order to avoid such contact a delicate operation is required in positioning the finger on the push piece. Further, the pressure to the push piece is directed inwardly while the cover is to be opened upwardly. Therefore, the direction of pressure must be changed after the engagement of the latch means is released.
Also, it is known in the art to provide a tray between the receptacle and cover members for enabling the accommodation of a puff in addition to the cosmetic material. An example of such "three part" type vanity case is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model KOKAI No. 61143502 in which the tray as well as the cover is hinged with the receptacle at rear ends thereof. A push piece is arranged in the tray and adapted to release dual engagements between latch members of the cover and the tray and between latch members of the tray and the receptacle. However, as the push piece is mounted in the tray, separate action is required to open the cover after such engagements are released as in the above prior art vanity case.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vanity case having a push piece which can be pressed by a user's finger without delicate positioning of the finger.
Another object of the invention is to provide a vanity case in which a cover member can be opened to a desired angle simply by pressing a push piece continuously without changing the direction of the pressure.